Burn The Night Away
by WhoTheHellIsBucky
Summary: Elijah Goldsworthy's life is completely out of control. He lost everyone he cared for. When he meets Clare Edwards, will she be enough to help him get his life back on track?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Well, this is my attempt at an actual story! I like to steer clear of multiple chapters, but for some reason I decided to try it. Umm, I can't say much because the summary already gave too much away, so enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

Eli Goldsworthy was your average person...on a good day. On a bad day, you would find him in the crappiest part of town scoring drugs and drinking his life away. No-one knew what had happened to this young man that made him want to end his life as soon as possible. Growing up, he was just like every other kid. His parents weren't exactly normal, but all his friends loved them. He had a younger sister that looked up to him and would call him her hero. He couldn't ask for a better family.

In school, he wasn't failing any classes, but he was constantly getting detention for pulling pranks and talking during daily lectures. He had his occasional run ins with the school bullies, but he brushed it off whenever he could. He didn't waste his time dating anyone because the school he attended, the girls weren't exactly 'take home and introduce to your parents' material. His best friend was transgendered, but that didn't bother him. Everyone was entitled to a couple of secrets.

After High School, he didn't bother looking into any colleges. His family was staying put in their home town and felt the need to stay close to home. He ended up getting a job at a local music shop during the day and a side job at a movie theater at night.

One night, while working late he got a phone call from his neighbor telling him to get home ASAP. He felt him stomach tighten as the voice on the other end of the line shook with an emotion Eli couldn't place. The call ended and he told his boss about the phone call he had received. The boss let him go home early and Eli rushed home. As he sped off towards his house, turning down his street, Eli noticed there were a bunch of cop cars and ambulances sitting in front of his house. He turned off his car and ran towards his house, pushing past the gathering crowd of people and police men. The police men held him back and told him to calm down. Eli stared in horror as stretchers were coming out of his house with body bags on them. He fell to his knees and sobbed.

That was night that Eli Goldsworthy lost everything.

****ELI'S POV****

Another late night shift, another shitty day at work. Ever since that horrible day, I quit my second job at the movie theater and stayed with the music shop. My boss knew what had happened, hell the whole town knew what happened, so he never told me anything when I was having one of my off days. Today was one of those days. I felt like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. All my bills were caught up with, so I have no idea why I was feeling this way. As I swiped my ID card to clock out of work, my eyes wandered over the calender. When my eyes landed on today's date, I figured out why I was feeling so bummed out and overwhelmed. It was the one year anniversary of my family's death.

My hands started to tremble and a sickening feeling started to form in the pit of my stomach. I gathered my stuff and headed out of music shop and into my car. As I sat in Morty, I suddenly felt that I needed to be with my family. I started Morty's engine and sped off to the cemetery where they were buried at.

I parked Morty across the street from the cemetery and cut off the engine. I took a deep breath and climbed out, heading to the spot I dreaded to see. Seeing their tomb stones would make it too real. When times got rough, I'd like to think that they took a family vacation and accidentally left me behind. All too soon, I was standing before my dead family. George Goldsworthy, Cecil Goldsworthy and Stephanie Goldsworthy all laid six feet below me. I took a seat between my mom's and little sister's resting spot and started to speak to them.

"Hey guys, sorry it took me a whole year to finally visit you." I paused a second and let silence fill the cemetery once again. "Everything happened so fast and..." A tear slid down my cheek and my throat became tight. "You guys should still be here! I can't stand being alone. I miss you all so much." I choked on a sob and quickly stood up. The tears were falling faster and I was suddenly angry. To keep myself calm, I started pacing back and forth in front of their head-stones. "That wasn't fair to you guys, being taken away so early. Hell, it's not fair to me. I need you guys here with me. I need you guys so much." I broke down in the cemetery.

Calming down after my freak out, I rushed back over to Morty, hoped in and sped off. I had been driving around for hours. The sun was long gone and the night was starting to wind down somewhat. People were stumbling in and out of bars and drunks were flagging down cabs, trying to get home. I parked Morty in an empty alley and tried calming myself. Taking in deep breaths and letting them out really wasn't working well for me. The thought of being all alone entered my mind again and I suddenly couldn't take it. I reached underneath my seat and found a baggy of pills that I had scored off of some druggie a couple of weeks ago. Next to the baggy was a practically full bottle of Jack Daniels. I pulled both of them out and started to swallow pill after pill. After about downing ten pills, I opened my bottle and chugged until I couldn't breathe.

Starting to feel a little dizzy, I pushed what was left of the pills under my seat and got out of Morty. I stumbled past a couple of trash dumpsters, but managed to stay on my feet. Bringing the bottle back up to my lips, I chugged the alcohol again until I needed to breathe. My vision started to blur and black spots were dancing all around me. I walked out of the alley and ended up leaning against a wall to some building. The blackness was starting to close in on my vision and I couldn't have been any happier.

"Hey! Are you alright?" a feminine voice broke the silence.

I whipped my head towards the voice and everything started to spin around me. I swayed back and forth before falling face first into the pavement. Hands pushed and pulled on my shoulders, turning me over onto my back. My vision cleared up a little bit, but it was too dark to really see anything. The only thing I could make out were the auburn curls framing the girls head.

"I'm calling 911! Just hang on.." was the last thing I remembered hearing before the blackness consumed me.

* * *

**Well, there you have it. Told you I haven't written anything like this before. I hope this was enough to keep you guys interested. Leave a review and let me know what you're thinking! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Here's Chapter two of my little story. I'm guessing you already know who found Eli, so there's not much else to say.**

**

* * *

**

Clare Edwards basically lived a sheltered life. She was the youngest in her family, the oldest being her sister Darcy. Their parents loved them very much and spoiled them as much as they could. The girls were always home-schooled, but when High School came around, they wanted to be in a public school. Darcy came down with a sudden illness and the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. She ended up dying after a couple of months and the Edwards family was broken. Everyone was hurting at the loss of Darcy.

The Edwards soon pulled Clare out of public school and put her back into home-schooling. They had lost one daughter, they weren't about to lose another. Clare didn't bother to fight against what her parents were doing. In their eyes, they were protecting her.

Day after day, Clare sat through her so called classes and did all the work she was assigned. Her parents would come home from work and shower her with new gifts. They were somewhat rich, so Clare had all the latest gadgets money could buy. She didn't mind the new laptop, or the latest iPod or any of the new clothes her mother would buy her. Although, there was something that no-body knew. Clare wasn't happy at all.

At the age of 21, Clare couldn't handle being smothered by her parents any longer. As an escape, she was constantly hitting up the local clubs and bars with her friends that she made during her short time in public school. After hanging around the clubs for a while, she became interested in bar-tending. She loved the thought of pouring and mixing drinks. The thought of serving people made her happy. To her, it was better than being the one who was being served. Soon, she talked to one of the local bar managers, they told her to brush up on her alcoholic knowledge and maybe she'd have a shot at landing a job. So, that's what Clare did. For a couple of months, she studied alcoholic beverages and their recipes. Her friends were the taste testers. She soon took her knowledge back to the bar, _Nicky's, _and was hired on the spot.

She saved up some money and soon had enough to buy her own apartment. She quickly moved out of her parent's home, much to their dismay, and she couldn't have been happier.

****CLARE'S POV****

"Hey Nicky, I'm out! I'll see you in two days." I called out over the loud music.

"You got it kid. Be careful." My boss shouted as I walked away.

I wasn't really a kid. I was 22 and my boss was 28. He just called me a kid because I was the youngest he had ever hired. I walked out the front door to the bar and waved good-bye at the security guard. Working at this bar was fun. Everyone who worked for the bar was older, so they all treated me like their little sister. I didn't mind that at all, it was nice working in an environment were I knew the guys would protect me.

As I was heading down the street, a guy stumbled out from the alley. He steadied himself on the wall behind him and he looked like he was about to pass out.

"Hey! Are you alright?" I asked as I got closer to him.

He didn't answer me, but he managed to look straight at me. He swayed from left to right then hit the pavement. Hard. I ran up the rest of the way to him and knelt down beside him. I managed to turn him over on his back and take my cell phone out to dial 911.

"I'm calling 911! Just hang on." I breathed heavily.

"_911, please state your emergency." _the operator spoke into the phone.

"Yes, I'm on the corner Rosewood and Anderson street. There's a man that passed out right in front of me. I think he's having trouble breathing and he keeps slipping in and out of consciousness." I stated rather quickly.

"_Alright ma'am. Just hold tight and I'll send some help. Try and keep him conscious."_ the operator spoke.

"Okay. I'll try my best, but please, hurry." I pleaded.

I moved around and cradled the guy's head in my lap. I had no idea what I was doing or how to keep him awake. The guy opened his eyes and looked straight up at me. There wasn't much light, but I could've sworn he had green eyes. He stared at me for a couple of seconds and then passed back out.

"Oh gosh, please don't die on me out here. Wake up!" I slightly slapped his left cheek.

He didn't budge or open his eyes again. Off in the distance, I heard the sirens of the ambulance approaching. I slightly slapped his cheek, trying to wake him up, but nothing was working. Finally, the ambulance arrived and asked me a bunch of questions of what happened and how I found him. I told them everything I knew while they loaded him up into the back of the vehicle. I was standing there, staring as they hooked him up to an IV when one of the medics shoved me in the back with them. I was too shocked to tell them that I didn't know him, so I just went along with him to the hospital.

At the hospital, I was sitting in the waiting room going over everything in my head. Having a stranger possibly dying was too much for me to handle. I glanced at the clock at noticed that it was 3 o'clock in the morning. I had no idea what I was doing at the hospital still. He was a stranger, so why was I waiting to hear about him? I stood up from my chair and was about to head out when a doctor stopped me.

"Excuse me, Miss? You came in with the man that was unconscious, am I correct?" the doctor questioned.

"Um, yes, I did." I yawned.

"Okay, well we're going to keep him here for a while. Here are his belongings. You can come back tomorrow." he stated while handing me a bag.

The doctor walked away and I was left standing with some strangers belongings. I sat back down and wondered if I could find an ID or something in the bag. I opened it up and noticed it was his clothes. His shirt was cut up and his jeans were dirty from falling on the sidewalk. I dug through his pockets and pulled out a wallet. In the wallet was at least 60 dollars and a driver's license. Nothing else. I pulled out his driver's license and read off his name. _Elijah Goldsworthy._

"Well Eli, since they gave me your belongings, looks like I'll be seeing you again." I mumbled to myself.

* * *

**In case I haven't mentioned it before THE CHARACTERS ARE GOING TO BE OOC. So, tell me how you like this story so far and REVIEW! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

****ELI'S POV****

When I woke up, I was laying in a hospital bed. A monitor next to me kept beeping and the IV needle stuck in my arm was really starting to bother me. Also, my throat was really sore and my mouth was dry as hell. I don't remember how I ended up here. I mean, I remember what I did to end up here, but now _how_ I got here. Pieces were coming back to me bit by bit, but trying to remember everything from that night was giving me a headache. Just as I was about to rip out my IV, a doctor came in.

"You know, you pull that out and we'll just have to put it right back in." the doctor smiled at me.

"Yeah, well this damn thing is kind of itchy." I replied with no emotion in my voice what so ever.

"Sorry about that." the doctor apologized. "So, Mr. Goldsworthy, do you know why you're in here?"

"First of all, it's Eli. Second, yeah, I know. I downed some pills and drank until I couldn't stand it anymore." I sighed as I moved my bed into a sitting up position.

"Okay, Eli. Well do you mind telling me why you downed some pills and alcohol?" the doctor asked as he started to write something down on a pad of paper.

"Actually, I do mind. I don't want to be in here. When can I go home?" I muttered.

The doctor completely ignored my question. "Well, since you won't tell me. Maybe your girlfriend can get it out of you."

"What? I don't have a girlfriend." I raised an eyebrow.

"Sure you do." the doctor said while getting up and walking over to the door. "She's been in here everyday since you've been in here."

"How long have I been in here?" I asked, completely shocked that someone would stay with me.

"You've been in here for three days. We had to pump your stomach and get the pills out, but some of them stayed in there and you were quite out of it for a while." the doctor mentioned as he walked out of my room.

I sat in bed for a while, just taking in the objects in my room when I saw a purse and jacket on a chair across the room. Curiosity got the better of me and I found myself trying to get out of bed and walking over to the chair. Nothing was physically wrong with me, but I was feeling pretty weak at the moment. I finally made it to the chair and opened up the bag. I dug around until I found a wallet, opened it up and pulled out an ID card. The girl in the picture was decent looking, but something about her triggered a memory. _Clare Edwards_ is what the ID said. I studied her picture until it finally hit me. The auburn curls framing her head. This was the girl that called 911 when I passed out on the sidewalk. I tossed her wallet back into the purse and headed into the bathroom. I washed my face with warm water and studied my face in the mirror. Surprisingly, I only had one scratch on my right cheek from when I fell. Nothing too serious. I walked back out into my room only to be greeted by my supposedly "girlfriend".

"Hey. The doctor told me you were awake. I figured you'd be thirsty so I bought you a water." Clare set down a bottle water on my bed.

"Thanks, I guess." I muttered and sat down on my bed.

She pulled up a chair next to my bed and started to pick at her fingernails. The silence was starting to kill me and I desperately wanted to know why she was staying here with me. She kept picking at her fingernails and I finally broke.

"Why are you here?" I asked her and then opened the bottle water, chugging half the bottle.

"I..I have no idea." She spoke up, looking down at the floor. "They gave me your belongings and I just wanted to make sure you got them back."

"You could have left it on the chair and went back home." I said, sounding kind of annoyed.

"I know, but I guess I was just kind of curious." She spoke softly.

"Curious of what?" I rolled my eyes.

"Curious as to why someone would want to end their life." Clare whispered.

A lump suddenly formed in my throat and my chest tightened. Here, this girl sat wondering why I would end my life. I chugged down the rest of my water and stared at her. She was still looking down at the floor and wouldn't look up at me. She sat there in a long sleeve blue and black striped V-neck shirt and black skinny jeans. Around her neck was a silver chain and attached to it was a simple cross pendant. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with anger.

"What makes you think I tried to end my life?" I questioned through gritted teeth.

"I..I don't really kno-" She tried to reason, but I cut her off.

"Get out." I stated.

"Excuse me?" Her head snapped up.

"I said GET OUT!" I snapped at her, raising my voice more than I should have.

"Wow, for someone saving your life, you sure know how to treat them." she rolled her eyes.

"No-one said to save me. You could've left me on the street and walked away." I scoffed.

"Yeah, well, believe it or not but there are people out there who care." Clare said as she stood up and gathered her purse and jacket.

"Yeah, I'm sure you really care. I know that doctor put you up to it. He just wants to know why I wanted to die. Well you know what, it's no-one's fucking business!" I yelled at her.

She was walking towards the door, but before she opened it, she turned at looked at me one last time. "The doctor didn't put me up to anything. I was actually just kind of curious. Life is too precious to throw away, Eli. Remember that next time you attempt suicide."

With that being said, she walked out of my room. I collapsed back against my bed and blew out a breath I didn't know I was holding. The first thing I noticed was that she called me Eli and not Elijah. That made me smile for a split second, but it quickly faded. I had no idea why I snapped at her. She seemed like a nice person, but for some reason I just got angry. Now that I'm thinking about it, she seemed kind of cute all nervous just sitting there. I groaned and put a pillow over my head.

"Gahh, I'm such a dick." I muttered into the pillow.

* * *

**Well? Do you likey or no likey? I didn't plan on having Eli being a dick to Clare, but it had to be done. Next chapter, we see Clare in her work environment. Get ready to get a taste of Nicky's! Let me know what you think in a review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: If you want to see Clare's work outfit and Eli's clothes, click on my profile. Link should be there, if not, sorry! I know Clare wouldn't wear something like that, but it's MY story.**

**

* * *

**

****CLARE'S POV****

Days dragged on and weeks passed by. After my little argument with that Eli guy, life resumed as usual. Although, I'm pretty sure my co-workers picked up on my bummed out mood. He was basically a stranger, but for some reason I couldn't get him out of mind. There was something about his green eyes that pulled me in, something that made me want to know about his life. When we first started talking, I thought he was going to be decent and talk with me, but then he snapped and told me to leave.

I sighed as I stepped out of the shower, out of my bathroom and into my closet. It was just going to be another day at the bar. I grabbed a shirt that I only wore when I wanted extra tips. The shirt was black, but had three rips across my chest, revealing my cleavage. There were also two rips on each shoulder. Next, I pulled out a pair of black skinnies and my open-toe, studded black heels. I set my clothes on my bed, walked over to my dresser and pulled out a black push-up bra and a pair of black boy short underwear. For some reason, I was feeling the black vibe tonight.

After getting dressed, I didn't feel like wearing any makeup, so I quickly did my hair. My hair was almost completely dry, so I added some mousse and curled a piece here and there. I grabbed my house keys, locked up the door and headed over to my job.

As I walked down the busy street, people were laughing and talking, going from bar to bar. I soon found myself in front of _Nicky's _and the guard let me in. I smiled at him and continued my way through the crowd. Music was blasting from the jukebox and my co-worker for the night, Chris, was already pouring drinks. The lights were slightly dimmed and the pool tables near the back were occupied with it's usual players. Off to the side of the pool tables was a tiny spot that people usually danced at. If you got lucky, the boss would occasionally let you dance on top of the bar. Since it was my night, I didn't feel like having wasted females dancing and falling on me, so that wasn't going to be happening tonight.

I walked behind the bar and placed my keys on the hook where workers usually placed their personal belongings. Chris spotted me and headed towards me.

"Well, well. Looks like we're wearing out _'please give me extra money'_ shirt tonight." Chris chuckled.

"Shut it, Chris, or I'm going to tell Nicky who it was that broke all those liquor bottles the other night." I responded.

"Hey, you promised!" Chris pouted. "Besides, I was working on my skills. We can't all be as talented as you are."

"I know. Okay, let's get to work. Looks like it's gonna get busy." I smiled.

Chris play punched my shoulder and started to take orders. I went to the other side of the bar and started my shift.

"Hey Tyler, what's it going to be tonight." I smiled at my usual costumer.

"Uhh, let me have four beers and six shots of Jack." Tyler sighed.

"Alright, that's gonna be 42 dollars, love." I replied as I got his drinks ready.

I pulled out four tall glasses and filled them up to the rim with beer. Next, I slammed six shot glasses on top of the bar, one right after the other in a line. Pulling out the bottle of Jack, I spun the bottle in the palm of my hand and caught it by the neck. I tilt it upside down and poured all six shots for him. Tyler laughed at my little trick and slapped the money down on the bar. I pushed his drinks in his direction and picked up the money. He handed me 60 dollars. As he walked away, I placed the money in the register and placed the extra in the tip jar. Just as I was about to hit up my next customer, Chris tapped my shoulder.

"Hey, you have a special request." Chris teased. "Only wants to be served by you."

Chris pointed to the opposite end of the bar were a dark-haired guy sat. He had his hands up on the bar and he was drumming his fingers along with some song that was playing. His hair fell, covering his face so I couldn't see him. He wore a black Levi's Sherpa Button hoodie with all the buttons, except the top two, buttoned. Chris smiled at me and nudged me in the guy's direction. As I stopped in front of the stranger, I tapped the bar with my hand.

"What can I get you, sir?" I smiled, waiting for the guy to look up.

When his head slowly rose, I could've swore my stomach did flips. His green eyes pierced my blue ones and he smirked at me. Oh gosh, that smirk was just too cute. My smile quickly faltered as I remembered the last time I had seen him. He was yelling at me. He saw my smile fade and his smirk faded as well.

"Can I get a shot of Jack, please." He stated.

I pulled out a shot glass, slammed it on the bar and pulled out the bottle of Jack, quickly pouring his shot.

"What, I don't get that cool little trick that you did for the other guy?" He teased.

"Wanna tell me what you're doing here?" I ignored his question.

His smirk made an appearance again. "I'm here for the same reason everyone else is here for. A drink."

"Did you have to choose this bar?" I asked slightly annoyed.

I know I wanted to know about him, but the first time we spoke, he was mean to me. All my curiosity about him left and I was starting to get annoyed with him. I watched as he downed his shot, never breaking eye contact with me and slammed the shot glass back down.

"Another one, please." He gestured towards the empty shot glass.

I poured him another one and the tension just kept on building. He kept up his routine of downing shot after shot and he wouldn't stop staring at me. He never spoke of anything, he just stared and occasionally smirked. After his eighth shot, I noticed his eyes were starting to glaze over.

"Another." He hiccuped. "Please."

I grabbed his shot glass, poured the Jack into it and put the bottle away. When he tried to reach for the full shot glass, I pulled it back and downed it myself. The alcohol burned going down my throat, but I wasn't about to serve this guy another drink. The last thing I needed was him trying to kill himself in front of me.

"Hey, that was mine." He fake pouted.

"Yeah, well I'm cutting you off." I turned my back on him to grab a dish towel. "Besides, you owe me 48 dollars for your drinks."

I started to clean off any liquid that spilled onto the bar and out of the corner of my eye, watched him fumble with his wallet. He pulled out a 100 dollar bill and slapped in down.

"Keep it." He said as he got up and stumbled out the front entrance of the bar.

* * *

**Ha, is Eli stalking Clare now? Uh-ohs. Guess you'll have to keep reading to find out. REVIEW?**


	5. Chapter 5

****ELI'S POV****

Okay, so my plan to talk to that Clare girl didn't work out so well. I didn't even knew she had worked at _Nicky's. _It was my first time at that bar, but I sure as hell wasn't expecting to see her there and in that outfit! When I saw her serving up drinks, I figured I should talk to her and later apologize for yelling at her in the hospital. Once I started drinking, I got to thinking. If I talk to her, she's going to have her own questions. She's going to question me and I don't think I can tell her about my life. Shot after shot, the idea of talking to her left my mind.

After last night, I found another thing I liked about her, other than her looks of course. She cared about me. She cared enough to stop me from drinking. Any other bartender would've kept serving me until I blacked out or walked out on my own. Instead, she stopped me. I chuckled to myself and quickly regretted it when I felt my throbbing headache kick in. I stood up from my kitchen table and glanced around everywhere. I badly needed coffee, but I didn't feel like making my own. I grabbed my car keys, headed outside and jumped into Morty. I started the engine and pulled out from the side curb heading to my destination.

Pulling up to a small coffee shop named _Marco's, _I shut off Morty's engine and headed inside. There wasn't a line, so I walked up to the counter and placed my order. I ordered a large cup of black coffee and an apple muffin. After receiving my order, I turned around and looked for a spot to sit at. I scanned the room, trying to find an empty corner when I saw Clare sitting in a back booth. She was too busy messing with her phone to realize I was staring at her.

"Oh, this should be fun." I mumbled to myself.

I waiting a couple of seconds before I made my way towards her booth.

"Mind if I sit down?" I asked.

She lifted her head and stared at me with a confused expression on her face. "Depends. Are you going to yell at me?"

"No. I'm not. Just want to drink my coffee." I said.

She gestured for me to take a seat and continued to mess with her phone. I sipped my coffee and tore off tiny bits from my muffin, eating very slowly. Clare wouldn't look up at me, so I decided I was going to have to be the one to break the awkward tension.

"Okay, so I owe you an apology." I started. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like I did." She finally looked up at me and tried to talk, but I put up my hand and motioned for her to stop. "We're total strangers and you wondering why I did what I did just kind of set off different emotions within me. So, I'm sorry."

"Can I talk now?" Clare asked.

I nodded my head and she continued to talk. "There was actual no need for an apology. If anyone should apologize, it should be me. I never should have bugged you in the first place. Like you said, we're complete strangers. I should've kept my mouth shut and just left your belongings in your room. Maybe then we wouldn't have argued."

I was taken aback by what she had just said to me. Most girls I know would've taken the apology and left it at that. Not this girl. She actually seemed to be apologizing to me. Maybe getting to know this girl would be okay. Then eventually, depends on how much we talk, I can let someone in. I've never spoke of my family's death to anyone and maybe talking about it with another person would not make me want to harm myself. It stayed quiet for a moment and Clare was fidgeting in her seat. I guess now would be a perfect time to start over.

"What do you say we get out of here and talk. Start over fresh. There's a park nearby that we could walk to." I broke the silence.

Clare sat there, probably deciding if walking away with me was a good idea. "Um, sure. I'd like that."

We finished off our drinks and headed out of the coffee shop. The park that I was telling her about was two blocks away. The day wasn't too hot so it was a perfect walking day. Some clouds hung around the sky, occasionally blocking out the sun rays. People were walking along the sidewalk, some heading to their cars and others walking in and out of local shops along the street. We finally made it to the park and took a seat at a picnic table.

"So, why exactly did you want to come to a park?" Clare asked.

"I don't know. Just to talk. You seem like someone I would actually enjoy talking to." I explained.

I watched as her cheeks turned a soft pink color and mentally smirked to myself. Well, at least I have her blushing.

"Okay, so what is there to talk about?" Her eyes shot up and met with mine.

"Well, first off, how exactly did you end up working at Nicky's? At the hospital, you didn't seem like someone who worked in a bar." I smirked at her.

She took a minute to gather herself before she answered. "My parents were kind of...smothering me when I lived with them, so one day while bar hopping with some friends, I became interested in mixing drinks. I learned my stuff and landed a job at Nicky's."

"Smothering you?" I questioned her.

"Oh, well you see, they were kind of protective. They kept me away from the outside world as much as they could." She answered.

"I see." I glanced around the park and watched some kids running around.

"My turn to ask a question." She spoke up. "Do you live on your own in the city?"

I sighed internally. At least she didn't ask about my attempt at suicide again. "Um, yeah. Been living on my own for almost a year now."

"Crappy home life with the parents?" She raised an eyebrow.

I gulped and tried to push down the lump that started to form in my throat. I saw her eyes widen as if she just realized something.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Don't answer that." She quickly added.

I nodded and stared at the picnic table, trying to will away the tears that were clouding my vision. My hands were fisted and resting on top of the table. She reached across the table and grabbed my hands in hers. She uncurled my fingers and started to rub circles on the back of my palms.

"I'm really sorry." She said again.

As soon as I was sure the un-shed tears were no longer there, I looked up at her and attempted a smile.

"It's alright." I assured her.

And for once, in a very long time, I didn't feel like I was lying to myself. I barely knew this girl and I was already starting to like her. We didn't even talk much and she already has my attention. Maybe getting to know her is a good idea.

**Ahh! That sucked and was majorly rushed. I didn't want them to forgive each other so fast, but oh well. It happened. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Nothing really happy has happened so far, so here is some happiness for all you Eclare lovers :) Sorry for rushing the friendship between these two.**

**

* * *

**

****CLARE'S POV****

Getting to know Eli was pretty much the best thing I could've done. Over the past couple of weeks, we've met up at _Marco's _and got to know each other. He told me about his love for horror movies and he figured out I was a romance movie type of girl. His music tastes were complete opposites of mine, but we still got along. We got along most of the time, but sometimes when we would talk and get on the subject of family, he would distant himself.

Tonight was the night that Eli was coming over to my apartment. We had made plans to pull an all nighter and watch movies. I texted him the directions and he told me he was on his way. I hardly invited anyone over to my apartment, so this was kind of a big deal to me. I don't mean to brag, but my apartment is pretty nice. The walls of my apartment are all white. The furniture in my living, all white. I wanted everything all white because it's easier to decorate. I hung paintings and bookshelves on the walls. Candles decorated some bookshelves and the coffee table in front of the sofa. My TV was mounted to my wall and tiny speakers hid in the corners of the walls. It's like I had my own personal theater. Just as I was tidying up the place, my doorbell rang.

I answered the door and there stood Eli. Pizza box in one hand, a six pack of Cokes in the other and a smirk plastered on his face.

"Did somebody order takeout?" He asked.

"Get inside, you weirdo." I laughed.

Eli walked into my house and set everything on the kitchen table. I followed behind him and pulled out two plates from the cabinets. I set them on the table and Eli dove into the pizza without me. I laughed as he stuffed his face and would occasionally smirk at me. I took a seat and served myself two slices of Pepperoni pizza. Eli handed me a Coke and I began to eat.

"So, what's the first movie we're watching? Chick flick or something bloody?" Eli said in between bites.

"You're really going to make me sit through horror movies? I thought you were only joking!" I fake pouted.

Eli chuckled and then took a sip of his drink. "Oh yeah. If I have to sit through romantic movies, you're sitting through something scary."

"Fine." I caved. "Well, lets start off with something easy."

"Okay. Finish up eating and then you get first pick. I already have something in mind for my first pick." Eli grinned at me.

"Oh joy. Can't wait." I said as I stood up and dropped my plate in the sink.

Eli chuckled at me again and I walked into my living room. I opened up my movie drawer and rummaged through everything. I tried to find something that Eli might like, but didn't seem to find anything. I finally settled on "Whip It". Walking over to the DVD player, I slid in the movie and made my way to the sofa. Eli was already sitting on the right side of my couch, so I sat in the middle. I didn't want to be too close to him, but I didn't want to be far either. I pressed play on the remote and the movie started.

Every now and then, I'd sneak a peek at Eli and he seemed to enjoy the movie. I mean, who wouldn't. It's a bunch of girls who are skating and knocking each other out. He didn't complain at all during the movie and I even think he got a little too happy when the girls started a food fight. The movie soon ended and it was Eli's turn to pick a movie.

"Alright, since you picked something decent. I'll pick a movie that isn't scary." Eli said as he walked over to his backpack and started to pick out movies.

He finally found one, but wouldn't let me see the DVD case. I sighed as I sat back and suddenly got cold. I stood up and started to walk to my hall closet.

"Hey, where you going?" Eli asked.

"Just getting a blanket. I'm kind of cold." I told him.

I grabbed a dark maroon fuzzy blanket and settled back down on the sofa. Eli sat next to me and pressed play on the remote.

"What, so you get a blanket but you're not going to share with me?" Eli grinned. "I'm hurt, Edwards."

I laughed at him and scooted over closer so he could get under the blanket. He pulled the blanket over his lap and sighed in contentment. The screen went black and then music started to play. Names came and went on the TV screen and then finally, the movie name popped up. We were watching "The Lost Boys". A smile crossed my face and movie started to play. Being a girl who loved vampires, I had already seen this movie. Eli seemed to enjoy it, so I didn't bother telling him I'd already seen it.

The night went on with Eli and myself switching our movies. The girlier the movie I picked, the scarier Eli would pick. I made him sit through "13 Going on 30", "She's All That", and "Simply Irresistible". Eli made me sit through "The Haunting of Connecticut", "The Amityville Horror" and "The Exorcist". We were in the middle of watching "The Exorcist" when I jumped out of my seat. That possessed girl was scary. Eli started to laugh and I almost had tears in my eyes. Never have I ever watched something so scary. Eli saw that my eyes were watery and pulled me back down on the sofa.

"Hey, don't cry." He chuckled. "It's just a movie. Besides, I'm sitting right here."

Eli draped his arm over my shoulders and pulled me into him. I layed my head on his shoulder and pulled the blanket back over my body. If I have to sit through the rest of this movie, he's going to have to put up with my jumpyness and screaming.

The movie soon ended and Eli and myself were both yawning. I got up and pulled back the curtains to my window and sunlight was streaming through. I checked the time and noticed it was 9AM. Our all-nighter was a success, but now we were tired as hell. I looked back at Eli and his eye-lids kept drooping shut. I giggled at him and went to cover him with the blanket.

"What are doing?" Eli asked sleepily.

"Tucking you in. It's 9AM and you're falling asleep." I told him. "You're not driving home like this."

"Oh." was all Eli could manage.

Eli soon fell asleep on the sofa and I walked up to my room and fell asleep in my bed.

* * *

**Hmm, okay so their happy time pretty much sucked. Sorry about that. There's only three chapters left in this story. REVIEW?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Okay, not gonna lie, this story took a turn for the worse. I liked the way it started out, but now I think it kind of sucks. Oh well, onwards with the story.**

_Words in italics are going to be Eli's dream in the beginning.** Towards the end, words that are bold and italicized are lyrics from a song. **_

_**

* * *

**_

****ELI'S POV****

Having an all nighter with Clare was pretty fun. She made me sit through chick flicks, which some of them weren't that bad, so I made her sit through horror movies. All in all, it was a pretty good night. Soon, we found ourselves yawning. Clare had opened a curtain and the sun shined in brightly. She quickly closed it and then I felt the blanket moving. I opened my eyes and looked at her.

"What are doing?" I asked sleepily.

"Tucking you in. It's 9AM and you're falling asleep." She told me. "You're not driving home like this."

"Oh." was all I could manage.

Clare tucked me in my eye-lids became heavy. I soon found myself drifting off into the darkness.

_I suddenly found myself walking around a carnival. Colored lights were blinking on and off. People were waiting in lines for carnival rides. The last thing I remembered was falling asleep in Clare's living room, so I knew I was dreaming. For some reason, one of the games caught my attention. It was that one game where you have to aim the water gun at the target and shoot causing your balloon to blow up and pop. I took a seat and got ready to play. The whistle blew and everyone started to shoot. I was having so much fun, I didn't pay attention to the people around me._

"_You know, you were always good at this game." a voice said from beside me._

"_Yeah." I sighed. "You always cried because I beat you at it, Steph."_

_My little sister was in my dream with me. The whistle blew again, signaling that someone had won. I stood up from my seat and walked away with Stephanie following me._

"_You said you wouldn't forget, Eli." Stephanie whispered. _

"_What are you talking about. I haven't forgotten you." I stopped and turned to face her. "I can never forget you."_

"_You said you wouldn't forget." She repeated._

_I looked down at her, tears falling from my eyes. I reached down and grabbed her in a hug. It felt so good to hold her in my arms. Just then I realized just how much I had missed my family. _

"_Mom and Dad miss you, ya know." She mumbled into my neck._

_I pulled back from her and noticed she was crying too. She untangled herself from my arms and started to walk back the way we came. As she walked further and further in front of me, she slowly started to dissolve into thin air._

"_Stephanie, wait up!" I called after her. "Stephanie, wait!"_

I shot up from the sofa and noticed my cheeks were stained with tears. My body was slightly trembling and my hair was matted down to my forehead. I hadn't noticed that Clare was sitting down next to me, trying to calm me down.

"It was just a dream, Eli. It's okay." She muttered.

"Clare? What are you doing awake?" I spoke.

"Well, I came to get a glass of water and I heard you mumbling in your sleep." She confessed. "Who's Stephanie?"

Oh great, she heard me calling Stephanie's name. Even though Clare and I have been hanging around each other lately, that was something I had kept to myself. I didn't feel like it was the right time to tell her about my family history. I didn't want her to find out like this. My throat suddenly became dry and my head was spinning with thoughts. What if she only keeps talking to me because she pities me?

"She's uhh...she's..." I paused. I couldn't let her know just yet.

I stood up from the sofa and walked to the front door. I slipped on my shoes and headed outside.

"Eli, where are you going?" Clare shouted from the living room.

I ignored her and climbed into Morty. I started the engine and took off. I needed to be home.

When I got home, I slammed my front door shut and threw myself on the couch. Tears were still falling from my eyes, but not as much as before. My little sister was everything to me. Seeing her in my dream only made things worse. And what she kept repeating, _you said you wouldn't forget, _kept swimming in my head. What did she think, that I forgot about her, mom and dad. Were they looking down on me and seeing how happy I was with Clare? Did they not want me to be happy? So many thoughts were swimming around. I couldn't take it. I walked into my hall closet and rummaged through some boxes that were in there. Somewhere in these boxes were my anti-depressant pills. I needed something to make the thoughts go away. Just as I found the box that contained the pills, a cd fell from the top shelf. It was in a clear case and had the words "Steph's Mix" written on it. I smiled to myself and noticed it was a cd I had made her. She looked up to me, but her taste in music wasn't exactly cool.

I picked up the cd and walked back into my living room. Sliding the cd into my stereo, I blasted the volume and started to pace around my house. The first song to play was "The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions by In Fear and Faith". The screaming started to calm down some of my nerves and I continued to pace. I stopped by a mirror that hung in my hallway. I stared at myself in the mirror and noticed my eyes were swollen and red. I attempted a smile, but then the words that blasted through my speakers wiped it away.

"_**Just hold on, (go ahead let go). It's not your time, (your time is up). There is so much more, (you should end it here). You've got your whole life in front of you. (You've got nothing to live for), there's a reason to live. (So pick up that knife), you just can't give up. Put it through your chest. Please end it, please end it all. It's on the tips of our tongues. Help me, hear me, leave me, forgive me. If I fall, I'll be the one left to lie alone in this mess. And I know, that if you end your life. I will be joining you shortly."**_

For some reason, as those words drifted through the speakers, I became angry. I continued to stare at myself in the mirror and brought my fist up, punching it. The mirror cracked and a piece fell down and landed near my feet.

I stumbled backwards and my back connected with the wall. I slid down and stared at the broken pieces of glass on the wall and floor. It was just like my life, broken. At least my life before meeting Clare. Stephanie's words from my dream drifted into my head again. I reached down in front of me and slid the piece of glass towards me. I picked up and studied the sharp edges. I brought the piece of glass down to my left arm and cut.

One cut for letting down my Dad. Just below that I cut again. Another cut for letting down my Mom. Underneath that, I continued. A third cut for letting down my sister. A fourth cut for letting myself get too close to Clare. Lastly, a fifth cut for being happy. The piece of glass fell from my hand and landed on the floor again. I watched as my blood streamed from each cut and slid down my arm, onto the floor.

After a couple of more minutes, I started to get sleepy. The music was still blasting in the living room. Just then as my eyes started to close, I head a knock at the door.

"Eli! Are you home?" Clare shouted from outside my door.

* * *

**Sorry, I know the dream doesn't really make since. I felt the need to post it. I had that exact dream the other night, but it was my nephew telling me not to forget. My nephew isn't dead, but that dream still had me crying when I woke , there's only one chapter left. What do you guys think?**


	8. Chapter 8

****CLARE'S POV****

After Eli left my apartment, I couldn't help but wonder if he was okay. He kept mumbling the name Stephanie in his sleep and when I asked him about her, he just left. A part of me felt bad. Maybe I shouldn't have asked him. It was probably one of those things he didn't feel comfortable talking about.

I waited a couple of minutes before getting in my car and driving around. I didn't know where Eli lived, I just knew he lived pretty close. I decided to drive up and down each street until I found a black hearse. It shouldn't be too hard, after all not many people drive a hearse everyday as their personal vehicle.

I soon found the black hearse I was looking for and stopped in front of the apartment. Music was blasting from inside the house. I walked up to the front door and knocked.

"Eli! Are you home?" I shouted.

When I got no answer, I knocked again. "If you don't open this door, I'm just going to walk in."

There was still no answer and the music was still blasting. I was suddenly hit with a bad feeling. I jiggled the doorknob and noticed it was unlocked. I slowly opened the door and saw Eli slouched against the hall wall. It looked like he was just sleeping, but then I noticed the pool of blood that his arm lay in. I quickly ran up to him and knelt down beside him.

"Eli! Wake up! You have to wake up." I pleaded.

"C-Clare?" Eli mumbled.

I looked around him for something to stop the bleeding, but didn't find anything. I ran down the hall, looking for a bathroom. Once I found the bathroom, I grabbed a towel and ran back to Eli. I pressed the towel against his arm, trying to get the bleeding to stop. I wrapped the towel around his arm and held it with one hand. With my free hand, I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my phone. As I tried calling for help, Eli put his other hand on top of my phone.

"Don't." He whispered. "It's okay."

"Eli, if I don't get you help, you're going to die." Tears started to fall and my vision blurred.

"No, I'm not." he said as he tried to sit up further. "The cuts aren't deep. If you keep pressure against it, it'll all stop."

I hesitated for a bit and finally set down my phone. I really wanted to get him help, but as I examined his cuts, they didn't seem deep. I kept the towel pressed against his arm and waited. After a while, the bleeding seemed to have stopped, but Eli still looked weak. I stood up and walked into his living room, turning off the stereo. Then, I walked back into his bathroom, getting another towel. After finding a towel, I walked into the kitchen and filled up a large bowl with warm water. Making my way back to Eli, I knelt down and got ready to clean his cuts. I took away the dirty towel and started to clean off his cuts with the warm water.

"Eli, why are you doing this?" I asked as I washed away the blood.

"I, I don't know." He answered. "Some song started to play that reminded me of Stephanie and I became upset with myself. I was starting to let her memory fade away and that can't happen."

"Who's Stephanie, Eli?" I asked. "You were mumbling her name in your sleep.

Eli sighed and wouldn't look up. He just sat there and watched as I held his arm in my hands and cleaned off his wounds.

"Stephanie is my little sister." Eli answered. "She died a while back."

I stopped cleaning his wounds and stared at him.

"She was home with my parents one night and I was at work. I had gotten a phone call from a neighbor saying I needed to be home." Eli paused and cleared his throat. I saw a tear drop fall from his eye and he continued. "When I got home, there were ambulances and cop cars everywhere. I saw them being taken out in body bags."

I stood up and knelt on the other side of Eli. I put my arm around his shoulders and he rested his head on chest.

"They didn't even find the person who killed them. He got away. I let my entire family down. I just let them die. How can someone do that to a family. What was his point. And my little sister? She was sleeping in bed when he shot her. They all died with their whole life still ahead of them. Why should I have a happy life when they can't enjoy theirs anymore?" Eli broke down and sobbed.

I don't know how long it was that we sat there on the floor, but I couldn't move Eli. His cries had finally stopped, but he was still sniffling. He finally stood up on his feet and walked over to his sofa. I followed him and sat next to him. It was quiet for a moment and then I realized that Eli finally let me in. He let me in and I hadn't. When he told me about his loss, Darcy came to mind. I placed a hand over Eli's and rubbed circles on the back of his hand. I stood up and started to pull him up with me.

"What are you doing?" Eli asked.

"Come on." I said. "It's time I introduce you to someone."

****20 MINUTES LATER****

We pulled up to the cemetery that Darcy was buried at. I had never told Eli I had a sister, so when I looked at him, he was very confused. I unbuckled my seat belt and got out of the car. I waited in front by the hood and waited for Eli to follow me. Eli soon got out and stood right next to me. He wrapped his unharmed arm around my shoulder and I wrapped my arm around his waist. I led him to the last row of head-stones and took a seat. Eli stood standing.

"This is Darcy." I started to explain. "She was my older sister and we basically did everything together. One day, she became ill and we all thought it would pass. When she didn't get better, she went to the doctor. No-one could figure out what was wrong with her." My throat suddenly became dry, but I knew I had to continue. "You lost your entire family when you weren't home. There was nothing you could've done, Eli. I sat there and watched my sister slowly die each day. We could've done something, but we didn't know what it was we had to do." The tears started to fall down now and I felt Eli kneel beside me. He placed a hand on my back and rubbed soothing circles there. "You said something earlier about not letting her memory go. You don't have to let her memory go, but you can't be harming yourself. When you hurt yourself, you hurt me. I doubt your family would want you hurting right now. They loved you then and they love you now. They'd want you to be happy, Eli."

I stopped talking and let everything sink in. I had stopped crying, but telling Eli my story took a lot out of me. Eli never spoke a word. He just knelt there and supported me. Soon enough, I found ourselves walking back to my car. We got in and just started to drive. After an hour of driving, I parked in front of Eli's place. He opened his door and got out.

"Will you stay for a bit?" He mumbled.

I didn't say anything. I shut off the engine and got out. Following Eli inside, we both headed straight for the sofa. Eli's arm had stopped bleeding and it didn't look like it was bothering him. He sat down and patted the spot right next to him. I sat down and leaned my head against his shoulder. Since neither of us had enough sleep, we both found ourselves slowly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**Blehh. I didn't really like this chapter =/ I thought about ending it here, but I wanted to add one more little thing. The last chapter is going to be EXTREMELY SHORT! So yeahh, if you want this to end here, then don't read when I update this story again, haha.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: This is the OFFICIAL ENDING of this story. Thanks to all the readers who stuck with this story. Read the bottom of the page for some updates on other stories.**

**

* * *

**

_**_**ELI'S POV****

_I was walking around a park. It was completely empty for it being a bright, sunny day. I saw a little girl sitting on the Merry-Go-Round and walked up to her. When it turned around, I came face to face with Stephanie. She smiled at me and nodded at the Merry-Go-Round. I took a seat and we started to spin._

"_You know, we all like her." Stephanie smiled at me. "Mom and Dad really like her."_

"_What are you talking about?" I smirked at her._

"_Clare." She replied. "She's a keeper."_

_I smiled at my little sister. "Eavesdropping, I see."_

_Her smile suddenly faded and she turned serious. "We had to. You were headed down a path that we didn't want for you, Eli. This Clare girl, she's keeping you grounded. Don't lose her."_

_My eyes started to water and I couldn't look at my sister anymore. "You told me not to forget. I didn't want to forget."_

"_You don't have to forget, but harming yourself isn't the way to remember. Stop punishing yourself for something that wasn't your fault. Let the guilt go and be happy." Stephanie stood up and carefully walked over to me. She knelt down in front of me touched my cheek. "We all miss you, but we don't want you to end your life so soon. It's not your time."_

_I tried to touch her hand, but she quickly vanished. I was left alone in the park, crying to myself._

I jumped up from my sleep and felt Clare stir next to me. I finally calmed down and just stared at her. My little sister was right. Clare was keeping me grounded. If it wasn't for her finding me, I'd probably be dead. If she hadn't told me that hurting myself hurt her, I would probably continue down that ugly path. Deeply sighing, I leaned back and got comfortable, keeping my arm around Clare.

Maybe I should let the guilt go. My family wants me to be happy, so I guess I'm going to be happy. I leaned over a bit and kissed Clare on her forehead.

"You're right, Steph. She's definitely a keeper." I whispered as I slowly drifted off back to sleep.

* * *

**STORY UPDATES: I have a couple of [ONE-SHOTS] completed that I will be uploading soon. The first one will be uploaded on Valentine's Day ;)**

**As for the rest, I'll post them up every other day. Right now, I'm in the middle of writing ANOTHER chapter filled story, but we all know how my stories turn out...not very good, so I don't know if I'll upload that one or not.**


End file.
